Novel visualization tools for enhanced nanotechnology awareness

Specific challenge: Recent surveys show that the awareness in the public about nanotechnology based products is very low and that awareness without detailed information creates insecurity. In that respect, novel visualization tools are a key element for enhanced communication and improvement of societal understanding of nanotechnology.

Scope: The major efforts of the project should be dedicated to the development of content aimed at enhanced communication, outreach and balanced information on nanotechnology with youngsters, civil society organisations, the media, and the lay public as the target audience. The content should be made available using novel visualisation, which is not only characterised by a geometry but also has attributes, semantics, and possibly interaction with time. The content should be built either from existing data (e.g. from finished or on-going FP7 projects) or from new data (e.g. from modelling efforts on nano-toxicology phenomena). The projects should make use of commercially available technologies to create an interactive environment for the information visualization. This can be a single user environment (e.g. immersion), but the project should also have a significant component where the environment can be experienced collectively (e.g. 3D projection techniques). Gender aspects should be taken into account, avoiding stereotypes.   Furthermore, the project should also involve appropriate disciplines of Socio-Economic Sciences and Humanities.

Media produced within the project should be made available under a public copyright license such as e.g. under a creative commons license.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 500 000 and 1 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. No more than one proposal will be funded.

Expected impact:

•  contribute effectively in raising the awareness of Europe's citizens, and in particular the target groups mentioned above, on nanotechnology and enhance their understanding through media available under a public copyright licence (e.g. a creative common license);

•  enhance the use of novel visualisation techniques beyond the project lifetime for outreach activities in the area of nanotechnologies

• support, beyond the lifetime of the project, the communication and education activities of various stakeholders: researchers, industrialists, investors, museums and/or schools;

•  enhance support to good governance in nanotechnology;

•  contribute to the implementation of the European Commission’s Action Plan for Nanotechnology.

Type of action: Coordination and Support Action